Brakehead and brake beam adapter



M. s. JOHNSON I BRAKE HEAD'AND "BRAKE BEAM ADAPTER Filed May 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 14, 1945 FF'ICE I LBRAKEl-IEAD AND BRAKE BEAM ADAPTER Malcohn S; Johnson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Illinois Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, Ill a corporation of Illinois Application May 19,1944, Serial 'No. 536,392

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a railroad car brake head and to means whereby the compression member and the tension rod are anchored together at their ends and the brake head secured and held in place; the invention contemplating an anchor member which may be removably secured to the ends of the brake beam withthe tension rod and which also effects interlocking engagement with the brake. head so as to permit the latter to be readily removed without interfering with the anchored relation between the members of the brake beam. l

In the present day or A. -A. R. design ofbra'ke beam, the brake head constitutes the means whereby the ends of the compression member and tension rod are tied together, .so that when the brake head becomes worn or broken it becomes necessary to remove the member and the tension rod; broken or Worn heads being the main reason for brake beam removal to permit renewal of the brake head. The beam with-attached head is then shipped to the nearest reclamation shop where it is dismantled, an operation requiring considerable handling, time and labor and which also results in damage to certain of the parts of the structure and consequently also requiring replacement of such parts in addition to the replacement of the broken brake head. According to the present practice in the reclamation shop,

useable parts of the dismantled brake beam truss are salvaged for use in subsequently rcclaimed beams. One of the frequent points of brake beam failures is at the roots of the threads on the tension rod, because with the present A. A. R. design the tightness of the brake head on the beam depends entirely on thefriction of the tension rod nut against'the brake head. with the result that when the tension rod flexesor stretches, the brake head becomes loose on the beam and eventually causes failure at the root of the threads on the rod. In the present design, the threads on the tension rod arechecked to prevent loss of the nuts, so that very few tension rods can be reclaimed due to the injured threads. With the present design it is necessaryto remove the nuts every time a new brake head is required; hence new tension rods must be applied at the reclamation shops, thereby greatly increasing the expense for brake head replacement.

With my improved structure, the compression member and tension rod anchoring means become a permanent part of the brake beam truss and provides the means whereby the brake head in removably vsecured'in place; thus obviating the necessity of disturbing the truss in the beam and hence greatly reducing the expenseheretofore incurred in replacing a .worn or broken brake head.

the arrows.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan taken substantially on the line :4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 looking in the direction of the arrows, with the ends of the brake head broken away.

In structures as at present'employed, the compression members generally areloi channel formation in cross section and the brake heads on their rear sides are each provided "with a socket of angular cross section adapted to receive-the ends of the compression and the tension members, with the end of the latter threaded to receive a nut which engages the socketed wall of the brake head and holds the latter in place.

In my improved structure, the forward shoe receiving side-oi the brake head I0 is of standard formation, While the rear .side of the brake head I0 is provided with a transversely disposed socket H open on the rear face and at one side of the head, and with vertically disposed straight wall portions l2, 12 above and beneath the'socket and united at the inner end of the socket; and these wall portions l2, I2 terminate in the rearwardly disposed angular flange portions. l3, .13 which provide slots extending transversely of the head and made tapering, as shown at I4 in Figure 3, toward the closed ends of the slots at the opposite or outer side of the head.

These flanged particles [3 are formed integral with the web portions I5 which terminate in the riarrigardly disposed rivet or bolt receivin lobes The brake head H1 is secured to the brake beam truss throughthe medium of an auxiliary head I or box-like adapter l1, open at the inner or brake truss side of the head. The forward wall of the box-like adapter 'ha's'an ofi-setintermediate portion I28 which matches and seats in the transverse socket II in the rear side of the brake head as shown in Figure 5, while the rear wall at opposite sides of the oil-set portion I8 seats on the straight wall portions I2, I2 of the brake head and extends beyond the top and bottom walls of the adapter to provide flanges I 9, I9 which enter the slots of the angular flange portions I3, I3 of the head. The flanges I9 extend transversely of the adapter and taperftowar'd the outer closed end of the adapter to match and to I4 of the flange portions I3, I3, as shown in Figure 3. The top and bottom walls of'the box-' like adapter ll, rearward of the flanges I 9, I9 ;v

are provided with the vertically disposedal crtured ears 20, 20, adapted to extend substantially.

parallel with the ears or lobes I6, I6 on .thebrake head; and the head is secured"to'the'a'dapter' by suitable rivets as at 2I in Figures 1 and; 3 1

rear wall of the adapter, in keeping with the disposition or direction of pulling force-exerted? by the tension rod 24 of the brake beamtruss, to provide .a flat seating surfacei'for thernuti 25 which screws onto the threaded endofthe tension rod which protrudesthrough the opening 22 in the adapter. The pocket provided by th'e adapter I! receives the end of compression member 26, which is of channel form; and the sides or flanges .of the channel are tapered toward theend of the beam, as shown at 21 in Figure 2, to bear against the sloping boss portions 28, for-medonthe forward wall of the adapter, causingthe-base of the channel beam 26 to be forcedagainst the rearzwall of the adapter as shown in: Figure 2, thus eliminate ing any clearance between. the beam and'. the walls of the adapter. H The opening in the off-set portion I8 ;of' the adapted preferably is flared at 29 and made arcu. ate to receive the round tension rod 24.

In assembling, the adapter I1 is driven onto the end of the member 26', with the tension-rod 24 passing through .the channel .of the member 26 and the threaded end extending through the opening22 in the side wallof the adaptenthereby securely anchoring the .member and rod to gether. The nut 251's then screwed up tightly on the protruding threaded end of .the tension rod until it firmly seats ontheslopingboss :23 on the end wall of the adapter.. V M ,7

In order to prevent the nut backing off or accidentally being removed, I- show the end of the tension rod 24 provided with a suitable nut lock 30 whose intermediate portion is preferably tack welded to the end of the rodwhilethe'ends of the lock element may be tack welded to the nut 25 J As the adapter is not subject to wear it maybecome a permanent part ofthe brake'beam'and the anchored relation between the compression and tension members need not be disturbed 'when the brake head is to be replz a'lcec l, as thisc'anbe accomplished by simply removing the rivets 2|, without the necessity of dismantlingthe brake beamtruss. In the-present day A. A. R design, thetight ness of the brake head on the, beam dependspn the friction of the tension rodiinutfa 'd inithe event the rod, hould stretch,.the head; becomes loose and its constant vibration eventually causes failure at the root of the threads. With my design, the anchor member or adapter is driven tightly onto the beam and firmly wedged or held thereon by the wedging surfaces 28, formed on the forward wall of the adapter pocket, and the tapered flanges of the compression member or ,elementjfi, thereby eliminating ell clearance at s ringer-tr thechan'niel flanges {and hence not depending entirely on the friction of the tension effect wedging engagement with the tapered slots; ':';.-I r n Furthermore, by having portions of the brake head overlapping and engaging the top and the'bottom' of the adapter relative vertical movement betweenthe-head and adapter is prevented. --.;I have shownand described what I believe to beatheizbestnembodiment of my invention, but

structural modifications may be possible without,

"howver',"'departing from the spirit of my invention as degned in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

U la-A brake head and: adapter of the character described comprising a hollow member open at oneiside toreceive'the end 'ofa compression element -and having an opening in the opposite side surro'unded by an'annular sloping boss to receive the'end of :a; tension rod, the forward side wall of the. member intermediate its ends being out- ,wardly oif-set and. flared on its inner side to seat aboutithe-itension rod-while the upper and lower endsiofsaid wall terminate in vertically disposed flanges taperin toward one of their'ends'; the top and bottom sides of the member having verticallyudisp'osed apertured ears; a brake head .providedi'on itsrear side with a transversely dislposed socket adapted to receive the outwardly off-set forward wall portion of said member and having transversely disposed grooves tapering toward one got-their ends adapted to receive the tapered flanges of said member, said rear side of the brake head h'avinga pair of apertured lobes adapted to align with the aperturedears' of said member; andmeans disposed through the aper turesbfisaid ears-and lobes whereby the brake headis secured to said member against movement.

2.-A brake head and brake beam adapter comprising a hollow member open on one side to endwisely receive the compression element and tension rod of thebrake beam, the opposite side of the member 'havingan opening forpassage of the tension rodtherethrough, the top and bottom walls 'of; said .member having transversely extending flanges tapering toward one of "their ends;-and a brake head whose rear side is formed toseat against :saidmember and is provided with rearwardly disposed portions having grooves tapering toward one'of their ends and adapted to receive and effect wedging relation with the tapered' flanges of the adapter, whereby the head is removably secured to the adapter; and means whereby the head is secured to the adapter against movement'lengthwisely of the beam.

1 '3.' -li brak head 'and br'ake beam adapter comprisingaflrollowbox-like'member open on one side'to endwis'ely'receive a brake beam and tension'rodjthejopposite side of the member having anopening for passage of the endof the tension rod, the forward wall of the'member interme-. diate its top bottom being forwardly offset to permit, introduction; pf the forwardly sloping tensionrod the wallabove and ,below saidioifset portion beingv verticallydisposed with substantially fiat bearing surfaces, while the top and bottom walls of the member 'are'provided with trans.

versely disposed tapered ribs; a brake head whose rear side is provided with a socket adapted to receive said forwardly offset portion of said member to have supporting relation therewith and with vertical flat walls above and beneath said socket to seat against the vertical flat bearing surfaces of said member, said vertical walls of the brake head terminating in transversely extending tapered grooves closed at the outer side of the brake head and adapted to endwisely receive the ribs on said member whereby a selflocking and non-tilting relation between the head and the adapteris effected; and means whereby the brake head is held against movement lengthwisely of the adapter.

4. A brake head and brake beam adapter comprising a hollow me'mber open at one side to endwisely receive the tapered end of the compression member, the forward wall of the member having a sloping surface increasing laterally 20 toward the opposite end of said member and adapted to wedgingly engage the tapered end of the compression member, the opposite end of the member having an opening for passage of the end of a tension rod therethrough, the forward wall of said member having wide brake head engaging surfaces and a forwardly offset hollow portion for passage of the tension rod and .to provide support for the brake head, the top and bottom sides of the member having vertically disposed flanges tapering toward one of their ends; and a brake head provided on its rear side with a transverse socket open at one side of the head adapted to receive said forwardly ofiset portion of the member and having a pair of transverse grooves open at one side of the head and tapering toward the opposite closed ends, said grooves being adapted to'receive the tapered flanges of said member whereby a non-tilting and interlocking relation between the brake head and member is provided.

MALCOLM S. JOHNSON. 

